How to Use X factor in a Sentence

X factor

noun
  • Still, the X factor on this week’s chart was clearly the sales.
    — Ethan Millman, Rolling Stone, 23 Aug. 2023
  • But the real X factor here will be radio.
    — Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 29 Oct. 2025
  • The Lakers tried to spark their X factor in the third quarter.
    — Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2026
  • Of course, the biggest X factor here is the winner of this election.
    — Nathaniel Rakich, ABC News, 1 July 2024
  • Who or what will be the X factor for Golden State in this match-up?
    — Sporting Green Staff, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 May 2023
  • And that’s the X factor of La Dolce Vita.
    — Adam Erace, Travel + Leisure, 6 Feb. 2026
  • But for all of them, music provides an X factor that could well make the difference on game day.
    — Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 12 Feb. 2025
  • And those aren’t the only X factors scientists have to contend with.
    — WIRED, 29 June 2023
  • But the real X factor might be its use of AI to help forecast demand.
    — Time Contributors, Time, 28 Apr. 2026
  • Having that immersion in your business world can be a real X factor.
    — Ryan McFarland, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
  • Expect the ground game to be featured (heavily) in this one, but success in the air will be the X factor.
    — Alexis Cubit, The Courier-Journal, 1 Sep. 2022
  • The better-performing secondary will be an X factor.
    — Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 28 Nov. 2025
  • That makes data the X factor for every competitor trying to go faster and shatter records.
    — Joel Shapiro, Forbes, 26 Jan. 2023
  • But what’s the X factor that separates a champion from a mere player with talent?
    — Corey Seymour, Vogue, 21 July 2023
  • Two X factors are also widely assumed to be in Paramount’s favor.
    — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 14 May 2026
  • His magic feet can bring an X factor to Hurzeler’s attacking options.
    — Andy Naylor, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2025
  • Trump's mounting legal issues have become something of an X factor in the primary race.
    — Aaron Navarro, CBS News, 7 Sep. 2023
  • But there’s an additional X factor that is blowing up the rules of innovation.
    — Joe McKendrick, Forbes, 17 Feb. 2024
  • Mozarsky said that while tariffs are still a bit of an X factor for business, using M&A now to lock in business changes is a smart move.
    — Megan Poinski, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
  • The other ever-present X factor in holiday travel is there are thousands of folks catching flights who do not travel often.
    — Scott McMurren, Anchorage Daily News, 24 Dec. 2022
  • His escapability from pressure in the pocket is a true X factor; some plays on his tape show shades of Josh Allen.
    — Mike Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Aug. 2025
  • This point is where the brand reveals the X factor of their content piece, conveyed through a beat drop, a product function or an unexpected reveal.
    — Alisa Wu, Forbes.com, 19 Feb. 2026
  • The X factor for the 49ers is versatile wide receiver Deebo Samuel.
    — Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2022
  • But the potential for major sports to migrate from the bundle to streaming is not the only X factor that could hasten corporate strategizing.
    — Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 May 2023
  • But in a messy world, with all those unpredictable X factors, leaders would do better to foster ingenuity, grit, and perseverance.
    — Claire Zillman, Fortune, 28 Jan. 2026
  • No one can play this game alone, and your role in accelerating a startup and its products to market may be the X factor that results in exceptional returns.
    — Nicolas Sauvage, Forbes, 27 Jan. 2022
  • The only X factor reflected on the pages is that the company’s official corporate name is now X Corp.
    — Todd Spangler, Variety, 24 July 2023
  • The X factor is John Wood, a Republican running as an independent.
    — Jim Salter, ajc, 3 Aug. 2022
  • Jalen Carter could single-handedly end the Commanders’ wild ride, but Daniels’ mobility is the X factor.
    — Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 24 Jan. 2025
  • The question of tariffs is just one of the X factors facing Target, which saw dramatic growth during the pandemic but has seen the increases stall over the last couple years.
    — Evan Clark, WWD, 4 Mar. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'X factor.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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